Unimportant posts lose you Facebook friends, says report

Boredom is the number one reason for users deleting 'friends' from their Facebook accounts, according to a new report. A study from Dr Christopher Sibona, a PhD student at the University of Colorado Denver, found those who post repetitive status updates are most likely to face the chop when a friend decides it's time for a social media 'cull'.

According to the research, which took into account the views of over 1,500 Facebook and Twitter users, updates on topics such as religion or politics were also looked upon negatively by other users. Racist and crude comments ranked third in the top reasons to unfriend.

However, social networkers are almost twice as likely to cut friends loose for online behaviour rather than offline exploits. The study found 29.6 per cent would unfriend someone who had annoyed them away from the internet, compared to 57 per cent who would do so for poor online etiquette, perhaps suggesting that people feel less inhibited at a computer screen than away from one.

Dr Sibona explained: "There is a lot more nuance in the offline friendship world. You don't have to go up to someone and ask them to be your friend. That's not the case online. It can be awkward."

Stars against Facebook

These findings coincide with the release of The Social Network, the David Fincher-directed movie based on the creation of Facebook. Star Justin Timberlake recently remarked that he is not a huge fan of social media, claiming he prefers to conduct his affairs in the real world.

The singer-cum-actor remarked that if one of his friends had a problem, he would much rather they called him to talk about it rather than moan about it online. Still, he added that he was keen on the way charity groups have embraced the platform.